The three chatted as they walked. Suddenly, Kirkia asked, "You two haven't awakened your Nen yet, have you?"
"Nen? What's that?" Ponzu asked, looking at Kirkia in confusion.
"Hahaha, it's fine if you don't know. I'll teach you," Kirkia said with a laugh.
"Thank you," Odin said.
"No big deal, no big deal." Kirkia waved a hand. "I'll be around here for the next few days, so I can teach you the basics."
Ponzu looked at Odin. She knew nothing about any of this.
Odin nodded with a smile. "That would be great. By the way, have you booked a room yet? If not, let me book one for you."
Kirkia smiled. "Then it's settled."
On the way, Kirkia also bought a bottle of liquor, saying he wanted a drink that evening.
By the time they returned to Odin's place, the sun was already sinking toward the west.
Odin booked Kirkia a room at a nearby inn, paying for a whole month at once.
"You're too generous. Far too generous. Let's go have a look at your place," Kirkia said with a smile.
Soon, the three arrived at Odin's rented apartment.
Sunlight streamed through the window, painting long, slanting bands of light across the living room floor.
Kirkia stood in the middle of the living room and looked around.
The bookshelves were crammed with books, and training equipment occupied a corner. Dumbbells and kettlebells were arranged neatly together, while rolled-up exercise mats leaned against the wall.
"Pretty clean," he said.
Odin put the groceries in the kitchen and came back out. "We only just got back. It's actually not usually this clean."
Kirkia nodded and sat on the sofa.
He patted the cushion, testing it.
"I'll start teaching you Nen tomorrow," he said. "We'll rest today and have a chat."
Ponzu sat in a chair on the other side.
Odin sat down too.
Kirkia leaned back on the sofa and looked at them.
"How much do you know about Nen?" he asked.
Ponzu shook her head. "Nothing. This is the first time I've heard of it."
"A little, but not much," Odin said.
Kirkia nodded. "Then we'll start from the beginning.
Nen is a technique for controlling life energy.
It includes the Four Major Principles of the flame: Point, Tongue, Refine, and Emission.
Then there are the Four Major Principles of Nen: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Emission, which are practical techniques.
Of course, beyond those, there are advanced applications such as In, Zetsu, Gyo, En, Ryu, Ken, and Ko, but we'll leave those for later."
He paused, then added, "It sounds complicated, but getting started isn't actually hard.
The key is having someone guide you. Messing around on your own can lead to trouble."
"Trouble?" Ponzu asked.
"That's right. There are two ways to awaken Nen: guided awakening and forced awakening," Kirkia said. "If a Nen user attacks you, their Nen may force your aura nodes open, leaving you unable to control them and forcibly awakening your Nen.
If you can't contain your Nen before it all drains away, you'll die."
Ponzu's expression shifted.
Kirkia waved a hand. "But you two don't need to worry. I'll teach you the proper way. We'll take it slowly and build a solid foundation."
Odin nodded earnestly.
"I won't come over tomorrow. Just come to my inn for your lessons. All right, that's it for today." Kirkia stood, ready to leave.
"Stay for dinner first," Odin said, urging him to stay.
Kirkia accepted with a smile. "Sure. Let's see how your cooking tastes."
Odin went into the kitchen and spent an hour preparing several dishes.
He called Ponzu over, and the two carried the food out of the kitchen together.
They set it on the table: four dishes and a soup, all simple home cooking.
"Time to eat."
The three sat around the table.
Kirkia picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, chewed it, and nodded. "Not bad."
Ponzu nodded enthusiastically too.
Odin grinned at their reactions.
It made him happy to see people enjoying his cooking.
After dinner, Kirkia took out the bottle of liquor and poured himself a glass.
Odin didn't drink, and neither did Ponzu.
Holding his glass, Kirkia leaned back in his chair.
"Tomorrow, we'll start with meditation," he said. "You'll learn to sense the aura inside your bodies. That's the foundation, and it can't be rushed."
Odin understood that, of course, but he was also a little nervous. He had no idea how talented he was.
"How long will it take to learn?" Ponzu asked.
Kirkia thought for a moment. "It depends on your talent. A fast learner might take a month, while a slow one could take several months or even years.
But neither of you should take too long."
He finished his drink and stood up.
"I'm off. No need to see me out."
The door closed, and Kirkia was gone.
The living room fell quiet.
The two cleared away the dishes together, both thinking about Kirkia.
"Is this Kirkia guy reliable?" she asked quietly.
"He probably is," Odin said. "At least he has a Hunter License."
Ponzu nodded and asked no more questions.
They sat for a while, then went to their respective rooms to rest.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window.
Odin and Ponzu got up early and headed to Kirkia's inn.
Kirkia was already sitting in the living room.
He had changed into clean clothes and shaved his beard, looking much more refreshed.
"Let's begin," he said, standing when he saw Odin and Ponzu. "I'll teach you meditation first."
He had Odin and Ponzu sit cross-legged on the floor, their backs straight and their hands resting on their knees.
"Close your eyes," Kirkia said. "Feel your body. Start at the top of your head and work your way down, little by little. Feel every muscle, every bone, every patch of skin."
Odin did as instructed.
"Then feel your breathing," Kirkia said. "Feel the air enter through your nose, travel into your lungs, and flow out again. Feel your body rise and fall."
Odin felt his breathing, light and steady.
"Now feel for something deeper," Kirkia said. "There's a warm sensation throughout your body.
That's your life energy. Try to sense it."
Odin calmed his mind.
At first, there was nothing.
Only his breathing. Only his heartbeat.
Then he sensed something.
It was faint, like a small pool of warm water slowly flowing through unreachable depths throughout his body.
"I can feel a little of it," he said.
Kirkia froze for a moment.
"So soon?" He came over and crouched beside Odin. "What exactly does it feel like?"
"Warm," Odin said. "It's all through my body, and it seems to be escaping outward?"
Kirkia was silent for a few seconds.
"You've got talent," he said. "That was faster than I expected."
He stood and looked at Ponzu.
Ponzu still had her eyes closed, her brow furrowed.
"Take your time," Kirkia said. "There's no rush."
Sunlight streamed through the window, shifting across the floor.
Odin continued sensing the state of his body, especially that warm current.
Kirkia sat on the sofa and watched them.
I thought this would just be a simple assignment guiding some newcomers. Who would have thought I'd run into a monster like this?!
I've awakened this monster. Things are bound to get lively in the future.
With all sorts of thoughts running through his mind, Kirkia watched the two still meditating with an unreadable expression.
Or rather, he was watching Odin alone.
Before you continue